This oatmeal muffin recipe with apples and cinnamon is easy, healthy, and packed with nutritious ingredients, perfect for adults and kids. Make extra and freeze them for later!
I’m just going to go out and call this the year of the snack. If you’re working from home, or off work, have kids at home, or don’t, a lot of us are constantly wondering “what can I have for snack?” I have taken up a real love of baking during covid times, and making muffins for my son and I has become a real favourite past time. These muffins are as wholesome and nutritious as they are easy and delicious, packed with lots of really tasty ingredients that are super good for you and your family, too.
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
There are so many reasons to love this delicious oatmeal muffin recipe! Some of my favourite reasons are:
- Vegan-friendly
- Kid-friendly
- Easy to make
- Freezer-friendly
- Moist on the inside, crispy on the outside
- Packed with healthy goodness
Key Ingredients
Apples – Obviously you need some kind of apple to make this oatmeal muffin recipe. I like a tart apple like granny smith, but any firm apple like gala, fuji or honeycrisp will hold its shape.
Maple syrup – I love maple syrup with apples, but you can also use honey.
Whole wheat flour – Whole wheat flour definitely adds a bit more fibre, but feel free to use all purpose if that’s what you have.
Rolled (large flake) oats – This is key to getting that oat-like flavour and of course for the oatmeal crispy streusel on top.
Ground flax – I love adding flax to my baked goods for some extra fibre, protein, and healthy fats.
Hemp hearts – Hemp hearts are a great way to add fibre, protein and healthy fats as well while also adding a nutty crunch.
Vegan melted butter– This is a relatively low fat muffin, but the bit of melted vegan butter does help carry the flavour and keep them moist.
Unsweetened applesauce – We use applesauce both as an egg substitute and in place of some of the butter.
Unsweetened vanilla oat milk – Feel free to use whatever non dairy milk you like.
Apple cider vinegar– This reacts with the baking soda to give the muffins rise without the need to use an egg.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: In a small saucepan over medium heat, saute the apples with maple syrup and cinnamon for about 5 minutes until softened and lightly caramelized. Set aside.
Step 2: Stir together the whole wheat flour, oats, flax, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a mixing bowl.
Step 3: Add in the maple syrup, applesauce, melted butter, vinegar, vanilla, and milk. Stir until just moistened. Fold in chopped apple and raisins. Divide the batter between 12 prepared muffin cups in a muffin tray.
Step 4: To make the streusel, mix together the flour, sugar, oats, salt, cinnamon, and hemp hearts. Then work in the vegan butter to yield coarse crumbs. Sprinkle on top of the muffins. Bake the muffins for about 18 minutes in a 370F oven.
Expert Tips
Don’t allow the batter to sit around for too long. The oats will soak up the liquid ingredients.
Be sure to use real maple syrup and not pancake syrup. The maple syrup adds sweetness as well as a ton of flavour.
Make sure to dice the apples into small even pieces so they cook and bake evenly in this oatmeal muffin recipe.
Recipe FAQs
Oatmeal adds soluble fibre to baked goods which has been shown to help lower cholesterol, provide satiety and improve digestion. In other words, if your kiddo is backed up, oats can definitely help. When paired with whole wheat flour, flax, hemp hearts, and apple, these are some pretty nutrient-dense vegan muffins.
I honestly haven’t tried making them with another fruit, but your best bet would be with pears since they have a very similar consistency. You can also try with softer fruits like cherries or blueberries, but you may need to bake them a little bit longer to accommodate for the extra moisture.
Yes, because there are no nuts in this recipe (including the non dairy milk), these muffins are safe for taking to school and daycare (if we ever get to go to school or daycare).
Absolutely. If you’re looking for a safe, nutrient-dense muffin that your kids, babies and you will all love, these muffins are just that. If you’re making these for babies under one, you may want to omit the streusel just to reduce the sugar even further. You can also check out some of my recipes for BLW Muffins like this one here.
Absolutely. If you want to make these even lower in sugar, you can omit the streusel topping, but it does give a nice crunch to these.
I haven’t actually tried to make these gluten free, but you could experiment with a gluten-free blend flour and of course, just make sure to use gluten-free oats. Your best bet might be using the 1:1 gluten-free flour. I do have a great gluten free oatmeal muffin on the blog though if you’re looking for inspiration.
Feel free to double or triple this recipe and freeze the muffins. I suggest allowing them to cool, then transferring them with their muffin liners to a baking sheet to freeze solid, then popping them into a freezer bag. These will last 6 months in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat, just pull them out and pop them into the fridge for a few hours to thaw out.
Absolutely, if you’re not dairy free or vegan you can absolutely use regular butter and milk for this oatmeal muffin recipe.
More Recipes You Might Like
Want more delicious muffin recipes like this oatmeal muffin recipe? Try these reader favourites!
- Spinach Muffins
- PB & J Banana Mini Muffins
- Peanut Butter Banana Mini Muffins
- Chocolate Cherry Almond Muffins
Now tell me friends, have you made these vegan muffins? Leave me a comment below with your go-to muffin recipe!
Oatmeal Muffin Recipe with Apples and Cinnamon | Vegan
Ingredients
Caramelized apple:
- 2 apples finely diced
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- Pinch salt
Muffins:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup rolled large flake oats
- ¼ cup ground flax
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup vegan melted butter
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓ cup unsweetened vanilla oat milk
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup raisins
Streusel:
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp hemp hearts
- 4 tablespoons cold vegan butter cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, saute the apples with maple syrup and cinnamon for about 5 minutes until softened and lightly caramelized. Set aside.
- Stir together the whole wheat flour, oats, flax, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Add in the maple syrup, applesauce, melted butter, vinegar, vanilla and milk. Stir until just moistened. Fold in chopped apple and raisins. Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups.
- To make the streusel, mix together the flour, sugar, oats, salt, cinnamon and hemp hearts. Then work in the vegan butter to yield coarse crumbs. Sprinkle on top of the muffins.
- Bake for about 18 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before eating.
Notes
- Don’t allow the batter to sit around for too long. The oats will soak up the liquid ingredients.
- Be sure to use real maple syrup and not pancake syrup. The maple syrup adds sweetness as well as a ton of flavour.
- Make sure to dice the apples into small even pieces so they cook and bake evenly in the apple oatmeal muffins.
Nutrition
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
Erin says
Dude. These muffins are CRAZY. I just ate one, and I’m trying really hard to not have another, but it’s a battle I’m willing to lose. Thanks for the recipe.
Franzi says
This was just a delight. Easy to make, healthy and delicious. Couldn’t ask for more 😍
Christine M. says
Great muffins, so soft with a great lift for an egg-free batter. Didnt even make them with Streusel, and they were excellent, just the right amount of sweetness (used apple juice instead of milk however). The caramelized apple are divine.
Abbey Sharp says
Thanks Christine 🙂